Eye of the Storm
by 1dfabfic
Summary: Louis, Harry, and Niall just stormed into their lives…literally. meeting the boys in the middle of the storm was definitely unexpected, but it definitely changed everything. Who would've thought they'd end up falling in love?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2013!"

The pleasant June weather captured the ecstatic moods of hundreds of students as they rose from their seats in their flowing satin graduation gowns and stood proudly on the stage before their friends and family. Wide grins embellished the students' faces, each gripping the official diploma tightly in their hands that documented a new chapter in their lives. The seniors of Cheshire High School erupted in a deafening cheering and booming applause as they tossed their caps up into the vast blue sky, ready to seize the new opportunities that awaited them from this day forward.

"We're finally done with high school!" Naomi shouted excitedly as her thin frame allowed to her barrel through the crowd to her two equally enthusiastic best friends.

Kierra's honest hazel eyes scanned the crowd of students around her, seeing some of her other friends. She also spotted a few of her classmates that irritated her throughout her time at Cheshire High School.

"I'm surprised I didn't kill anyone at some point during these past four years," Kierra mumbled as she turned toward her friends.

"I really can't believe we've just graduated. It all went by so fast," Peyton said nostalgically as she pinned a lock of chocolate brown hair behind her ear, exasperated with the breeze blowing it around her face.

Naomi, Kierra and Peyton have been best friends since grade school, and their thirst for adventure, even as little children, was what brought them together. Looking forward to redefining themselves, they sought desperately to escape the small town they grew up in together where everyone knew each other and seeing a new face was a rare occurrence. Now all being 18 years old, they were old enough to do whatever they wanted. They hoped to expend their newfound freedom by making their last summer before starting college memorable.

The girls decided to spend their summer at Peyton's family's lovely lake house. After a bit of bargaining and a lot of pleading and sucking up, her parents finally agreed to let the girls have the house for the next few months. It was located in the midst of a deeply wooded area that ran for miles without any sign of civilization. Peyton usually spent long weekends and vacations at the lake house for nice bonding getaways with her folks, but this was the first time that her parents would not be present.

The quaint house was perfectly shrouded by tall evergreen trees, where rays of summertime sunlight filtered through the emerald needles and warmed the atmosphere. The steady stream of water from the large lake behind the house made soothing lapping sounds along the shore that intermingled with the sweet melodic chirps of the birds that sat on the branches of the trees. It was the perfect place for privacy and relaxation.

A few days after their graduation ceremony, the girls had their plans set in stone and meticulously packed their suitcases the night before, making sure they had all of their clothing and personal belongings ready to go. Although they were leaving behind their childhood lives in their small rural town, where all of their memories, promises, and friendships once began, they hoped to establish new experiences together. After all, life only moves forward without a rewind button to click.

The girls said their goodbyes to their parents before departing, promising to be safe and to take care of each other in case anything happened. Naomi picked up Kierra and Peyton at their houses in her silver Mercedes Sports SUV, an overwhelming graduation gift from her loving grandparents. After piling their necessary items in the trunk and sliding into the car, they quickly left to avoid morning rush-hour traffic. Several hours of driving had passed, and Peyton and Kierra grew restless, impatient and frustrated with the time they were making. Kierra yelled at the high-tech GPS navigation system installed in the car, as if it purposely guided them to take the longest route imaginable to the lake house.

"Hurry up Naomi, you're the slowest driver I've ever met!" shouted Peyton, eyeing the clock on the dashboard, its glowing blue numbers indicating it was a quarter to five already.

"Yea, Naomi! Drive faster! Look the sun's going to be gone soon. What if we get lost!" cried Kierra, desperate to arrive as soon as possible.

"Calm down guys we'll be there soon. Gosh. You do realize we have the entire summer, right? I don't understand why you're both rushing," Naomi said as she rolled her eyes. She turned up the volume so that the new Katy Perry song would drown out her friends' complaints.

"Shut up and drive, drive, drive," sang Peyton jokingly. She always liked to ease the mood by adding amusing comments on random occasions.

"Wow," responded Naomi monotonously.

"We're just excited, that's all," Kierra replied.

The conversation died down shortly after as Peyton and Kierra grew sleepy watching the trees outside the window whipping past in the darkness. It was dusk when the girls arrived at the house, and the sun was slowly sinking below the canopy of the trees. The dimmed beams of light casted over the sky and created a soft orange tinge that illuminated the house before the girls as they swerved up the rough gravel driveway.

Naomi parked in front of the white, wooden wrap around the porch that encircled the entire house. Peyton and Kierra clumsily climbed out of the car, having fallen asleep for the rest of the ride and still dazed and tired from their naps. They grabbed their luggage from the trunk and carried them up the stairs to the front door. Peyton unlocked the door and they stepped inside, the inviting scent of fresh wintergreen enveloping their senses. The interior of the house paralleled the outside wilderness, as the wooden floors and columns gave it an earthy yet comfortable ambiance. The old-fashioned kitchen was located to the left of the winding staircase that stood in the center of the foyer. On the opposite side of the kitchen was the living room, complete with its sturdy leather couches and exquisite carpets that gave the room a sense of security.

After stocking the cabinets with the food they had bought and placing their bags in their respective bedrooms upstairs, they gathered together in the cozy living room. Kierra scurried off to the kitchen and returned shortly with steaming mugs of hot tea for each of the girls. They situated themselves contentedly on the couch and settled in for the evening to watch some television and discuss their exciting plans for the months to come.

"So I guess our summer starts now," Peyton piped up, after taking a few careful sips from her steaming tea.

"Yea, I can't believe we're actually here now," Naomi replied. "We're done getting drained from our boring classes and seeing the same lame faces every day."

Kierra flipped through the channels aimlessly, settling on a movie she's seen countless times before.

"Is it bad that I don't really miss anyone back home? I just want to start fresh, away from all that overrated high school drama." Kierra sighed as she wrapped a strand of her long dark brown hair around her finger. She then let the loose wave fall onto her shoulders. She wondered if her friends shared the same sentiment.

"I know what you mean," Peyton agreed, smiling lightly.

"I'm so ready for this. Let's just hope that this would be a summer we won't forget," Naomi added.

The girls took in an array of overwhelming emotions that bombarded their thoughts. This was it, and there was nothing to worry about. They weren't nervous or afraid; knowing that whatever these next few months threw at them, their strong friendship would not let anything tear them apart. The distant buzz of the television began to fade as the girls dozed off, eager for the sun to rise. As they fell asleep, thrill and anticipation engulfed their minds, hoping for a summer out of the ordinary.

As their last song of the set came to a close, the piercing screams and roars of the massive crowd in the audience overwhelmed the ending notes of the instrumentals. The bright spotlights turned down on the five boys as they gathered at the center of the stage, illuminating the wide, cheeky smiles that stretched across each of their faces. They stood with their arms draped across each other's backs, looking out into the audience, feeling the greatest sensation of accomplishment and happiness. They truly enjoyed this moment, and it was times like these when they realized that they finally made it, that all the hard work they have been through paid off and had meaning.

Louis began to run off the stage, followed by Liam, Zayn, Harry, and Niall. As they made their way backstage, they were greeted with enthusiastic praise and congratulations for another amazing performance. The exuberant smiles on their faces continued to grow larger as crew members attacked them with high fives and excited hugs. The thrills they experienced from performing never seemed to get old, and the boys loved every second of it. They were on their way to their dressing room when their manager, Paul, stopped them in their tracks.

"That was another great concert, boys! This one was your best one yet! What an amazing way to end tour!" Paul applauded them with a beaming grin. "It's great to see that all five of you still love what you do."

"We wouldn't want it any other way," Liam said as he pulled the other boys into a group hug. He was very grateful with the opportunities he was granted, and he was so glad that he could share this great experience with four other wonderful young lads. The boys became a family after being put together in a band, and they couldn't help but smile and take in the moment.

As soon as they broke away from their embrace, Louis, being the joker that he is, stretched his arm out and messily ruffled Zayn's perfectly styled hair, which was loaded with hairsprays, gels and other countless products. Zayn tried to wrestle him away, shouting, but Louis just laughed and pretended to be afraid of what Zayn would do to him. The action caused the boys to snicker at Zayn's protective nature over his hair and they all began to fool around.

"Hey don't mess up my hair!" Zayn said frantically, attempting to reshape the tangled mess that Louis created as the other boys laughed at him.

Zayn went after Louis, who burst into a quick sprint back to their dressing room. The rest of the boys ran after them, and the crew members moved hastily out of the way from their destructive stampeding, rolling their eyes and chuckling at the boys' immature behavior. Despite all of the energy they used up on stage during the concert, the boys were still able to run and jump around. Their jobs required lots of work, sleepless nights, and long periods of time away from their friends and family. However, they still loved what they did and managed to bring a massive amount of fun into it. It wasn't until they settled down and sprawled out on the couch for few minutes in the dressing room that they had finally calmed down from the adrenaline rush they got from being on stage.

"Hey guys, I've got a brilliant idea," said Louis with a hint of mischief, breaking the silence in the room. His diabolical tone captured the other boys' attention as they all eyed him questionably.

"Well, what is it?" Niall asked as he gathered a variety of potato chips on his lap and munched away loudly, barely sparing any time to swallow. His soft blue eyes lit up, intrigued by the idea of doing something entertaining.

"What do you guys think about having a little fun tonight? You know, to celebrate another great concert." Louis suggested. Noticing the confused looks on the other boys' faces, he continued to elaborate his idea. "We can find a way to get past Paul and security and sneak out! Come on, it'll be fun!"

Harry smirked at the idea and narrowed his eyes at Louis, knowing all too well that Louis would suggest such a mischievous plan. He was the classic prankster, and did things without thinking beyond the consequences that would play into the matter. Louis continuously got in trouble, but he simply didn't care, wanting to live his life the way he desired without adhering to any restrictive rules. Niall was already brimming with anticipation and his eyes blazed brilliantly, up for anything exhilarating, and bolted straight up from the couch.

Zayn, who was already dozing off beside them, had to fight the urge to keep his eyelids from fluttering shut. He was startled awake by Niall's abrupt movement off the couch. He was not as eager, and he chose to stay behind and sleep early. Liam was also hesitant as well, as he had promised his fans he would do a Twitcam right after the concert. He didn't want to go back on his word to the very people who helped make his dream of performing a reality.

"So I guess it's just us three." Louis said to Niall and Harry. "Are you sure you two don't want to come?"

Zayn simply shook his head, nearly passed out on the couch, and Liam already began to turn on his laptop.

"Nah, Louis I'm fine here," Liam responded. "I'll stay here and cover for you guys incase anyone asks, but don't stay out for too long because we have interviews and such tomorrow afternoon and Paul wants us to be ready by 10am."

"Wow, you really are 'Daddy Direction,'" Louis joked, and Niall let out a chuckle.

"We'll probably just see you guys at the hotel later."

"Are we going or not?" Harry asked impatiently, wanting to not waste any time. "Let's go!"

Niall, Harry, and Louis made their way to the outside of the venue, stealthily sneaking past crew members and their protective manager. Louis pretended to act like an undercover secret agent, and his playful role-play caused Niall to silently snicker occasionally. Harry just smiled at Louis' childish actions, and the three finally made it to the parking lot where a security car was left unattended with the engine on.

"Let's hope security doesn't miss this thing too much," Niall said as he hastily stepped into the back. "And if they do, they shouldn't have left it on!" Niall laughed.

"Let me drive!" Harry shouted, shoving Louis out of the way. After wrestling for the drivers seat, Louis finally gave in and rode shotgun.

"Harry I swear if you get us lost…" Louis started.

"Don't worry about it," Harry retorted smugly.

Before anyone could catch them, Harry shifted the car into gear and sped out of the parking lot. A rush of adrenaline surged through the boys' veins and they sang along to the song blasting on the radio, not entirely sure of where to head. They managed to drive so far away that the buildings and houses that they drove past eventually began to change into a myriad of trees and bushes. Soon the boys found themselves far from civilization. They were lost.

"Umm, Harry?" Niall spoke up, noticing the excessive amount of trees. Raindrops slowly began to sprinkle upon the car windows, and dark thick clouds loomed ominously across the sky. Bolts of lightning flashed blindingly down the narrow road as thunderous roars exploded in the night, rapidly transforming into a raging storm. The car's window wipers were no match for the water streaming furiously down the windshield, distorting Harry's view of the road. It was hard to see through the waterfall in front of them. In these dangerous conditions, the boys knew it was best to stop driving.

"I know what you're gonna say, Niall. Don't even say it, I know what I'm doing!" Harry said, straining his eyes through the rain, trying to find any signs that would indicate where they were.

"Ugh, Harry, we don't even know where we are! Leave it to you to get us stuck in the middle of nowhere!" Louis screamed, frustrated. He immediately regretted his harsh remark, knowing that this whole plan was his idea in the first place and that it wasn't entirely Harry's fault for getting lost in an unsuspected storm.

"Yea, let's just drive away from the nice buildings into this forest here!" Niall said sarcastically, not cutting Harry any slack. "What do we do?"

"Hey, do you guys see that over there?" Harry asked with a hopeful tone, ignoring the blame his friends were placing on him. "That flickering light over there? Is that a house?"

"Man, Harry! I don't see a house!" Louis said, with a hint of stress in his voice.

"No, look closer. That's definitely a house," Harry insisted, pointing his finger in the general direction of a small light he made out down the road.

Louis and Niall took a closer look, finally spotting the flickering of a television screen inside a house close by. The sight relieved them of the stress that was building up inside of them as they possibly found some hope to get aid or directions from the people inside.

"Harry, drive closer to that house over there." Louis ordered. "Maybe the people in there can tell us where we are."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Without any hesitation, Harry quickly shifted the gears of the car and slammed his foot on the gas pedal. To their dismay, they heard the unpleasant sounds of the engine stalling, as too much water from the deep puddles surrounding the car damaged the engine. Frustrated, Harry floored the gas pedal, gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white as bone. He clenched his jaw and his body tensed, desperately hoping that the car would budge. After several unsuccessful attempts, he gave Louis and Niall a look of defeat, finally giving in to the car's protest-full screeches.

"That doesn't sound too good…" Niall said, worriedly. He had sat up from his slumped position, as if the car would agree to move if he had paid careful attention to Harry. He sat there wondering what they would do about the situation.

"THIS STUPID CAR WON'T FREAKING MOVE!" Harry bursted out aggravated at the car's lack of cooperation. He slammed the wheel with his palms several times.

"Looks like we're going to have to try and move it," Louis admitted, seeing no other way out of the situation.

"Great," Harry mumbled grudgingly, knowing it was the only option they had. He was hesitant to step out into the treacherous rainstorm, away from the safety and warmth the inside of the car provided.

"Ready boys?" Louis asked, surveying both Harry's and Niall's reluctant faces. He gave them the cue that he was about to open the door.

The door of the car swung open, and the boys were assaulted with a harsh gust of wind and endless buckets of rain. It only took a matter of seconds for the boys to be completely drenched in their t-shirts and jeans as they made their way to the back of the car, finding it difficult to maneuver through the muddy ground while being attacked by the heavy downpour. The three boys placed both of their hands on the trunk of the car and tried to heave the car out of the mud. Their efforts made no difference as that only seemed to make matters worse.

Harry's eyebrows furrowed in a wet frustration, breathing heavily as the unrelenting rain poured and soaked him completely. He ran his fingers irritably through his fringe that hung limply over his forehead, sweeping the sopping locks away from his face while he paced back and forth trying to figure out their next move. It seemed as if the rain was never going to stop and their options were unfortunately very limited.

"We need help!" Niall screamed over the pounding of the rain, throwing his arms up exasperatedly. He pulled out his phone buried deep in his pocket and hoped to get in touch with Paul, but he had absolutely no signal at the time, especially in the middle of a raging thunderstorm.

"Let's hope the people in that house over there are up!" Louis' voice was wishful, as it was 2am and he knew that that was probably unlikely.

The boys slopped their way towards the house, maneuvering around fallen branches and large water puddles that formed as a result of the overflowing of a nearby lake. A boisterous boom of thunder blasted in their ears to an earsplitting degree as the trees around them rattled forcefully under the full brunt of the storm.

An explosive sound of thunder rattled the windows and stirred Kierra awake from her hazy dreams. She sprung up from the couch, running her hand through the tangles in her hair and straightened out her rumpled up clothes. She blinked a few times, her eyes adjusting to the darkness and the bright flashes of light that came out of the TV in front of her. She glanced over to her two best friends, who weren't disturbed by the sound of thunder at all, still deep in their sleep. Naomi was stretched out on the couch, her left arm dangling over the edge. Peyton was scrunched up on the recliner. Her knees were pulled to her chest and her head delicately rested on the arm of the chair.

"Wow. We would fall asleep like this on our first night here," Kierra mumbled to herself.

She rose from the couch silently and tiptoed into the kitchen for a glass of water, not wanting to disturb her friends. Still a bit fuzzy from waking up, Kierra clumsily stumbled into the kitchen, the cold tile floors stinging her feet, when she thought she heard someone knocking on the front door. She glanced over to the clock on the kitchen wall. It read 2:12am.

"What the hell?" Kierra asked herself, wondering if she was just hearing things. She stood still for a second.

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK._

There it was again. Kierra heard it perfectly loud and clear; the knocks echoed throughout the large foyer and continued to become more frantic. Kierra walked slowly and hesitantly towards the front door, wondering what could be making the repetitive ruckus. She slyly peered through the side window next to the front door, but the blurred glass distorted her view and she couldn't make out any distinct faces. However, she couldn't miss the fact that someone was definitely out there on the porch. She was confused, wondering why anyone would be outside in this awful storm, especially in the middle of nowhere. There weren't any houses or busy roads for miles, except for the lake house. Kierra was conflicted, debating over whether or not she should open the door to complete strangers. She was paranoid and she considered the possible consequences that would happen if she did open the door. The fact that there were people outside so late at night in such a secluded area was puzzling and suspicious. Kierra was weary to open the door, afraid of putting herself in a vulnerable situation.

However, she considered the prospect that the people outside desperately needed some sort of assistance, noting the urgency laced in their constant pounding on the door. Kierra scanned the rooms around her quickly, looking for something to use for defense, anything that would provide her with a sense of security. She grabbed a sharp, metal fire poker sitting adjacent to the fireplace. She gripped it tightly to her chest, prepared to swing if whomever was out there tried to hurt her. Kierra approached the door as her heart rate sped up. She twisted the doorknob while holding her breath, cautiously opening the door and leaving a small sliver of space that allowed her to inspect the source of the knocking.

As her eyes acclimated to the darkness outside, Kierra was surprised by the intensity of the storm that was brewing severely. She felt cold droplets of rain land on her bare legs and the wind chilled her easily, raising goosebumps on her lightly tanned skin instantly. The door was fully ajar now as the howling wind had forced it wide open, and Kierra's view was blocked completely by three tall figures that stood before her. Instinctively, Kierra raised her arms with the fire poker in hand, as if it were a baseball bat, only to hear astonished screams from the strangers.

"WOAH WOAH WOAH, GIRL, PUT THAT DOWN!"

"OH SHIT, DON'T SWING!"

Wait what? Kierra lowered the fire poker in confusion at their pleas and allowed the strangers to speak.

"Uhh, sorry to disturb you but our car…" the raised voice of the boy in front of her began, pointing his thumb back over his shoulder toward a black sedan parked a few hundred feet away. Kierra had to strain her ears because she had trouble hearing what the stranger was saying to her over the bellowing wind, taking notice in the hint of familiarity of his voice. It was slightly high-pitched, but was laced with a lovely indubitable British accent...

_Louis Tomlinson?_

Kierra squinted and took a closer look at the boys standing before her in the pouring rain. All three of them were completely soaked from head to toe, but it didn't hinder her ability to recognize each of their distinctive faces, having seen them splattered all over magazines, posters, and the Internet. She blinked quickly several times, believing her eyes were truly playing tricks on her. "Louis" raised his eyebrow at her, noticing the way she stared at them in bewilderment, and chuckled at her reaction. To his right was Niall Horan, his dirty blonde hair clinging to the frame of his round face, and to the left was Harry Styles, who was shaking out his curly brown hair, trying to rid it of water.

"One Direction? I must be dreaming." Kierra said audibly enough for the boys standing at the doorway to hear. She slammed the door shut, dismissing the situation and assessing the impossibility of what just occurred. "I swear, Naomi must be putting some hallucinogens in my drinks," Kierra grumbled as she shook her head and turned to walk away from the door, trying to snap herself awake from this dream and back to reality. Suddenly, to her surprise, she heard the knocking again, along with some muffled screams telling her to wait, making her freeze in her footsteps. "No way," Kierra said in disbelief. She ran into the living room, turning on all the lights in a frantic attempt to wake up her friends.

"NAOMI! PEYTON! WAKE UP. GET OFF THE COUCH AND HELP ME OUT!" Kierra exclaimed hurriedly, startling the other two girls and interrupting their deep sleep. "BOTH OF YOU. YOU LISTEN TO ME RIGHT NOW." Naomi and Peyton groaned, rolling over and burying themselves further into the couch in an attempt to drown out her shouts. Kierra forcefully grabbed Peyton by the arm to pull her up on her feet and dragged her toward front door.

"ARE YOU CRAZY WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Peyton screeched as she resisted Kierra's tugging and struggled to break free from her grip. She was silenced when she heard the continual knocking on the front door. She shot Kierra a confused glance, but she only responded by pushing Peyton to open the door.

"Err, hi again. Sorry to be blunt but do you mind if we come in for a little? It's a little chilly out here," the stranger asked Peyton politely after she flung the door open and made eye contact with the boys. She could tell that they've been standing in the rain for a while now, seeing that they no longer cared that they were soaking wet.

Peyton opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't muster up any words to reply to the boy's question, gaping at the three of them standing in front of her. She broke her rude stare and directed her eyes away before stepping off to the side, allowing the three boys to come inside. It was only common sense that told her to let them out of the torrential down pour. Naomi finally stumbled into the room, rubbing her eyes with her fists to dispel the sleepiness from them. She was oblivious to any of the events that had just taken place. She turned her attention to the three boys standing huddled together in the center of the room, who were soaking wet and dripping all over the floor.

"What's going on?" Naomi erupted in a flustered tone, looking back and forth between the faces of her friends and the group of boys who stood in front of them. "I am really confused right now!"

Amused by Naomi's dramatics, Kierra began to crack up, letting out a lighthearted laugh, alleviating the tense atmosphere that built up in the room. Hearing her laugh was soothing, and it brought along a sense of bliss. She shook her head at Naomi's frenzied behavior and tried to stifle her giggles in front of the boys, who watched the girls silently with interested expressions.

"Aww, Naomi's grumpy," Peyton teased, regaining her ability to speak. Her thoughts were running wild after being hectically woken up to this odd and unexpected situation. She glanced up in the boys' direction and locked eyes with Harry, his piercing emerald eyes meeting hers. A lop-sided grin overcame his face in response to her comment and she flitted her eyes away quickly, unable to hold their gaze much longer. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks as she blushed deeply, hoping that no one would notice her embarrassing appearance.

After a few moments of silence passed, Louis spoke up and he formally introduced himself and the boys, and then attempted to clarify their abrupt arrival.

"We got ourselves in a bit of a mess outside with our car…" he began, but Kierra cut him off to enlighten her friends, who were swimming in their own pools of confusion.

"Um, well there was this loud boom of thunder that woke me up, then I found myself at the front door because someone was knocking. And now it's 2AM and One Direction is standing right there," Kierra explained, oversimplifying the situation.

"You forgot the part where you almost swung at our heads," Niall added, laughing at the memory as he recalled how ridiculously he screamed. Kierra bit her lip trying not to laugh as she gave him an apologetic look.

"Yea," Louis added. "Anyways, the boys and I were out on a little adventure here and we happened to get lost and caught in the storm. Even though we've got Niall we definitely didn't have the best luck," Louis joked, patting Niall on the back. "We were hoping you girls could help us out." Louis flashed Naomi a warm smile, and she couldn't resist his sincerity.

Naomi, after finally calming down, spoke up without looking away from Louis' perfect smile.

"Peyton, how about you get these guys some towels first?" Naomi suggested.

"They must be really uncomfortable standing in those damp clothes."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Peyton returned with three sets of fluffy white towels and gave them to each of the boys. She noticed the slight shivering of their bodies as their shoulders quivered visibly. Niall and Louis had their arms crossed tightly over their chests while Harry rubbed his palms together furiously, trying to garner some heat from the back and forth friction. She handed one to Niall and then one to Louis, and they thanked her with a smile, taking the towel and running it through their hair to remove the excess water. As she passed the towel to Harry, she felt a tingling shoot through her hand as their fingertips brushed slightly. He glanced up at her when their skin connected, and she winked at her with a small grin spreading over his lips. She hesitated, confused at the sensation she felt, but disregarded the feeling and walked over to where her friends were standing. Soon enough, the sound of the boys ruffling their towels filled the room along with the awkward silence that lingered.

"Guys…One Direction is sitting on our couch," Naomi suddenly said aloud, causing the boys to look up and chuckle lightly.

"Dreams do come true, don't they Naomi?" Louis teased playfully as he winked at her, making the other two boys laugh even harder.

"Who said I have dreams about you guys?" Naomi retorted in a defensive tone, crossing her arms defiantly. "I'm just saying. Famous boy bands don't just appear at your front door, you know."

"How exactly did you guys end up here?" Kierra asked after the boys' laughter died down, hoping for some clarification. The boys exchanged glances, as if they could read each other's minds. Finally, Harry spoke up.

"We were at a concert and when it was over, the lads and I decided to sneak out and have some fun. But I ended up taking a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in this forest and then it started to rain. We got stuck and I was about to go mental!" Harry explained as he shook out his damp hair and flipped it to one side.

"Yea our car got stuck in the mud pretty badly," Niall added. "Actually I think Harry did go mental for a while. You should've seen how he slammed the wheel of the car. Anyways we saw the flickering light of your TV and basically knocked on your door hoping you would hear."

"And luckily, three really nice girls opened the door for us, and here we are now," Louis smiled sweetly, making all three of the girls blush slightly.

"Right," Kierra said as she cleared her throat and moved her hair out of her face. "It's pretty late now…" Kierra said as she nudged Peyton's arm. Peyton immediately knew where Kierra was going with this.

"How about you guys stay for the night?" Peyton suggested right away. She knew that no one would be up this late to pick them up, especially in this storm.

"That sounds perfect," Louis smiled without hesitation. "Thanks, love."

"Oh cool, sleepover with One Direction!" Naomi said enthusiastically. "Now I can cross that off my list of things I never thought would happen in my life," she added sarcastically with a smirk playing on her lips.

"I knew you dream about us," Louis joked as he got up. He walked up to Naomi until he was a mere few inches away from her face. "Here's your towel," he said as he winked at her. She could smell the cool mint on his breath from the gum he was chewing. His hazel eyes pierced into hers for a few seconds, and she felt mesmerized and frozen in place by them. Naomi took the towel from his hands, breaking away from the trance and rolled her eyes at his cocky remark.

"I'm going to sleep," Naomi said, ignoring Louis' previous comment. "Night guys." She climbed up the stairs rapidly.

"Naomi's a bit touchy today, isn't she?" Kierra laughed. "By the way, my name's Kierra, and this is Peyton!" Kierra waved hello at the boys, and they all beamed at her.

"Nice to meet you guys!" The boys chirped. "Honestly, we're glad you were the ones to open the door. We didn't know what to expect!" Niall added. The room lit up with a friendly atmosphere as the boys' lighthearted attitudes eased the girls of any worries. All feelings of awkwardness and silence had disappeared.

Peyton and Kierra gathered extra blankets and pillows to make sleeping on the couch more comfortable for the boys. They handed them the towels before finally heading to bed.

"Thanks again for everything," Louis thanked the girls for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"It's not a problem. Good night guys!" Kierra replied warmly.

"Yea don't worry about it," Peyton smiled. "You can thank us by writing us a song or something," she teased. "Goodnight!"

When the girls disappeared upstairs, the boys spoke to each other in whispers before finally falling asleep.

"They're lovely girls, aren't they?" Louis said in the dark.

"Imagine if like, some old couple opened the door." Harry joked.

"Hahaha, we got pretty lucky. They're cute too." Niall added, trying to keep his laughter down. "Anyways I'm gonna crash. Sooo tired."

"Same. Night boys." Harry replied.

"Goodnight, Harry."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The sounds of early morning birds stirred Naomi awake from her deep slumber. She tried to cover her ears with her pillow in an attempt to block out the constant high-pitched chirping, but the large amount of birds trilling in unison were able to break the temporary barricade.

Naomi buried her face deep into her pillow and let out a muffled groan, frustrated with the impossibility of going back to sleep now. She couldn't remember what happened the night before as her thoughts were all a blur and her mind was too exhausted to function properly. She sat up in her bed and read the clock sitting on the nightstand, realizing that it was very early in the morning and that neither of her friends were likely awake.

Naomi got up out of her warm and comfortable bed and headed to the door, not bothering to change out of her pajamas or check her appearance. She walked down the stairs quickly, hungry, wanting to start cooking some breakfast for the girls. Learning everything she knew from Kierra, Naomi's cooking skills weren't as great. However, she wanted to muster something up for them to eat by the time they awoke.

On her way to the kitchen, three forms lying on the couches in the living room startled Naomi. They were covered with blankets lying haphazardly over their bodies and their arms and legs were sprawled every which way. Their faces were hidden from Naomi's view because they were either under the blanket or their arms were draped over it. Only their hair was visible, and familiarity overcame Naomi as the chocolate curls, beach blonde locks and a light brown mess flooded her memory of the night before. She was still shocked that Harry, Niall and Louis, members of the most popular boy band in the world, had randomly showed up at their house, and spent the night. Naomi didn't want to wake them, however, sensing their fatigue from last night. She wanted them to get all the sleep they needed. She walked silently into the kitchen and began preparing breakfast.

The clattering of pots and pans woke Louis up, and from his spot in the living room, he was able to see Naomi cooking breakfast. He smirked and got up, excited for the opportunity to prank Naomi. He began to tiptoe silently towards her. When Naomi was just about to crack open an egg, Louis snuck up behind her, grabbed her by the waist, and screamed.

"BOO!" Louis screamed as he tickled Naomi's sides. Naomi spazzed and let out a surprised screech. In her panic, she accidently hit her hand against the burning stove, and cried out in pain.

"Look what you did you jerk!" Naomi squealed. She rubbed her burnt hand gently, inspecting the damage. "Ughhh my hand burns." Immediately Louis felt pangs of guilt.

"Sorry love, I didn't mean it…it was just supposed to be a joke." He said apologetically.

"Whatever." Naomi turned away to rinse her burning hand in cool water. Louis followed her to the sink.

"Why don't you let me help you with that?" Louis said, all joking aside. His face was strictly concerned for Naomi, and he truly wanted to help.

"I'll take care of myself." Naomi said, hinting she wanted him to leave her alone.

"No, let me help, love." Louis insisted. He searched the kitchen for a first aid kit while Naomi grudgingly held her hand in the running water. She glared at him grudgingly, occasionally frowning at him deeply. For a while, Louis roamed the kitchen, opening the wooden cabinets and the drawers until he finally found one. He returned with a bandage and some burn medicine. "Gimme your hand, please," Louis smiled.

Naomi just stared at him for a while, sulking for a little bit. Eventually she gave him her hand, rolling her eyes, knowing that she had to put a bandage around it later on anyways. Louis grabbed her burnt hand softly, and gently applied the burn cream to her hand, occasionally looking up to see that Naomi was staring right at him.

"You know you want to smile. Just do it, I know you want to," Louis said jokingly. Naomi couldn't help it anymore. For some reason Louis' innocent smile made her anger disappear, no matter how much he annoyed her. She fought smiling back at him, but failed miserably. She scrunched her face trying to hide her smile.

"See? I'm not that bad a person!" Louis chuckled. He finished wrapping the bandage around her hand, but he didn't let go.

"I guess." Naomi admitted.

"I'll even kiss it for you to make the pain go away." Louis continued to joke, catching Naomi off guard.

"Uhh…uh…" Naomi stuttered. Louis' grin grew wider at her reaction. He pulled her hand towards his mouth and kissed it softly. Naomi's cheeks turned a deep shade of red and she looked away from Louis.

"There. Now you'll feel better," Louis winked, forcing her to look right back at him.

"…Sup guys?" Peyton said, alarming both Naomi and Louis, as they didn't even hear her come in. "Normally I'd cough but that was quite entertaining."

Naomi and Louis jumped at the sound of Peyton's voice, and Naomi quickly pulled her hand away from Louis'. They became flustered and immediately stepped away from one another, trying to cover up what just happened.

"Uh good morning, Peyton." Naomi said, embarrassed. "Please tell me you didn't see that."

"Oh the hand kissing thing? Noo, I didn't see anything at all," Peyton said sarcastically. "I definitely missed something though. But whatever, I don't need to know how that happened anyways." Peyton shot Naomi an impish glance, smirking at her friend for getting some action. Being best friends for what seemed like forever, Naomi instantly knew what Peyton was thinking, but Louis spoke before Naomi got to say anything.

"Naomi's a spaz," Louis just laughed. "You might want to check up on the stove by the way."

"Oh shoot!" Naomi ran up to the stove, lowering the temperature. "Look what you made me do Louis!" Naomi cried as she ran frantically towards the stove, quickly putting the recent events out of mind.

"Hahaha, Naomi you know you suck at cooking anyways." Peyton tittered. "I bet Louis didn't even do anything."

"Shut up, Peyton. I'm hungry. Can you two stop staring at me like that and help me make breakfast already?" Naomi hassled them, with a hint of frustration in her voice.

"You need all the help you can get." Peyton joked. She grabbed some eggs out of the fridge and opened a new pack of bread.

"Sure thing, love. I'm starving!" Louis replied, eager to cook breakfast.

In about half an hour, the smell of freshly cooked bacon filled the air.


End file.
